The dangers of saying ‘yes’ through the ‘silent call’ trap

At the 2026 Fraud and Disaster Prevention Conference in Los Angeles (USA) on January 26, police and legal experts warned about new high-tech crime tactics, the most dangerous of which is the “silent call” trap.

Compton School District Police Chief Wei-Lin Wu mentioned a common scenario: the phone rings, you answer it, but the other end is completely silent.

The natural reflex of most people is to continue asking: “Hello, who is there?”, “Is anyone there?”, “Can you hear me?”. Mr. Wu recommends that, in the current context of online fraud, when seeing an unknown number calling, the recipient should avoid answering and wait for the other end to speak first, especially not saying the word “yes”.

If you speak up, two risks will occur. First, the scammer’s automated system confirms that the phone number is active and that there is a real person answering the phone. Their information will be included in the list of “potential prey” and sold to other fraud rings.

More dangerously, crooks record the listener’s “yes” or “yes” answer, then use it to impersonate and answer voice security questions from banks, credit cards or utility services in order to appropriate assets.

“The best way to handle it is not to answer strange numbers. If you pick up the phone and find it silent, keep quiet and hang up. Don’t be afraid of missing out, the person who really needs to find you will speak up or leave a message,” Mr. Wu emphasized.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chen Hsi-chieh, Legal Secretary of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, warned about the “pig butchering” tactic. Scammers patiently “feed” their prey by building fake romantic relationships or friendships online over many months. When trust is enough, they begin to “operate” by inventing urgent reasons (sick relatives, accidents) or soliciting investments to extort money.

Regarding investment scams, Mr. Chen pointed out the general formula: request to download strange applications – promising huge profits to ensure success – request to transfer money to personal or overseas accounts, and prohibit disclosure to family.

In addition, celebrity impersonation is also booming. Thieves pretend to be airline CEOs or billionaires to give away free gifts, books, and VIP cards.

“Don’t believe in free lunches. Currently, 99% of gift-giving programs on social networks sponsored by celebrities are fake to steal information or defraud shipping fees,” Mr. Chen said.